{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/27-85.4.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/27-85.4.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/27-85.4.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/27-85.4.html"}],"law_id":356406,"edition_id":2,"section_id":356406,"structure_id":50991,"section_number":"27-85.4","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"1979, c. 279; 1985, c. 58; 2008, c. 410.","full_text":"For the purposes of this article:\n\n“Action” includes nonaction or the failure to take action.\n\n“Authorized agencies” means:\n\ni. The chief or director of any municipal or county fire or police department or the sheriff of any county;\n\nii. The arson investigator of the State Police Department; the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division of the United States Department of the Treasury; or\n\niii. The attorney for the Commonwealth or other person responsible for prosecutions in the jurisdiction where the fire occurred.\n\n“Insurance company” includes the Virginia Property Insurance Association.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1326870,"text":"For the purposes of this article:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"next_prefix":""},"1":{"id":1326871,"text":"“Action” includes nonaction or the failure to take action.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"2":{"id":1326872,"text":"“Authorized agencies” means:","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"3":{"id":1326873,"text":"i. The chief or director of any municipal or county fire or police department or the sheriff of any county;","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"4":{"id":1326874,"text":"ii. The arson investigator of the State Police Department; the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division of the United States Department of the Treasury; or","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"5":{"id":1326875,"text":"iii. The attorney for the Commonwealth or other person responsible for prosecutions in the jurisdiction where the fire occurred.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":"","next_prefix":""},"6":{"id":1326876,"text":"“Insurance company” includes the Virginia Property Insurance Association.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1,"prior_prefix":""}},"ancestry":[{"id":50991,"edition_id":2,"name":"Arson Reporting Immunity Act","identifier":"3","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":3,"parent_id":50988,"metadata":{"child_laws":4,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:36:00","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:31:41","permalink":{"id":1417487,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50991,"identifier":"3","token":"27\/6\/3","url":"\/27\/6\/3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50988,"edition_id":2,"name":"Department of State Police; Public Building Safety Law; Arson Reporting Immunity Act","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":6,"parent_id":50974,"metadata":{"child_laws":34,"child_structures":3},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:35:55","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:31:40","permalink":{"id":1417361,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50988,"identifier":"6","token":"27\/6","url":"\/27\/6\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50974,"edition_id":2,"name":"Fire Protection","identifier":"27","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":68,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":146,"child_structures":19},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:35:42","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:31:38","permalink":{"id":1416967,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50974,"identifier":"27","token":"27","url":"\/27\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":356405,"structure_id":50991,"section_number":"27-85.3","catch_line":"Short title","url":"\/27-85.3\/","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.3","metadata":false},{"id":356406,"structure_id":50991,"section_number":"27-85.4","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/27-85.4\/","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.4","metadata":false},{"id":356407,"structure_id":50991,"section_number":"27-85.5","catch_line":"Disclosure of information","url":"\/27-85.5\/","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.5","metadata":false},{"id":356408,"structure_id":50991,"section_number":"27-85.6","catch_line":"Evidence","url":"\/27-85.6\/","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.6","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":356405,"structure_id":50991,"section_number":"27-85.3","catch_line":"Short title","url":"\/27-85.3\/","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.3","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":356407,"structure_id":50991,"section_number":"27-85.5","catch_line":"Disclosure of information","url":"\/27-85.5\/","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.5","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/27-85.4\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1979. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 279 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1979 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1985, chapter 58; in 2008, chapter 410<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":356408,"section_number":"27-85.6","catch_line":"Evidence","order_by":null,"url":"\/27-85.6\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1417493,"object_type":"law","relational_id":356406,"identifier":"27-85.4","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.4","url":"\/27-85.4\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/27-85.4\/","token":"27\/6\/3\/27-85.4","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 27-85.4","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

For the purposes of this article:<\/p>

“Action<\/span>” includes nonaction or the failure to take action<\/span>.<\/p>

“Authorized agencies” means:<\/p>

i. The chief or director of any municipal or county fire or police department or the sheriff of any county;<\/p>

ii. The arson<\/span> investigator of the State Police Department; the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Division of the United States Department of the Treasury; or<\/p>

iii. The attorney for the Commonwealth or other person responsible for prosecutions<\/span> in the jurisdiction<\/span> where the fire occurred.<\/p>

“Insurance company<\/span>” includes the Virginia Property Insurance Association.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 27-85.4)\n\nFor the purposes of this article:\n\n“Action” includes nonaction or the failure to take action.\n\n“Authorized agencies” means:\n\ni. The chief or director of any municipal or county fire or police department or\nthe sheriff of any county;\n\nii. The arson investigator of the State Police Department; the Alcohol, Tobacco\nand Firearms Division of the United States Department of the Treasury; or\n\niii. The attorney for the Commonwealth or other person responsible for\nprosecutions in the jurisdiction where the fire occurred.\n\n“Insurance company” includes the Virginia Property Insurance\nAssociation.\n\nHISTORY: 1979, c. 279; 1985, c. 58; 2008, c. 410.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}